Challenge Your Nail Art: Penguins!!!

Of all the prompts, I was really excited about the Penguins one, because I *adore* penguins.  I really do, they're pretty fantastic :D  While I really, really wanted to make a much more elaborate mani, I just didn't have the time or energy I wanted to put into my mani.  So, alas, I have but one penguin, but I think the overall mani is pretty cute :)

I used Daily Hues Nail Lacquer's Nov/Dec limited edition polish for the base:

I then painted the snow with white acrylic paint and added very faint falling snow in the background using a white flakie polish topper from an unknown indie (no label on the bottle).  I also freehanded the penguin, using just acrylic paint

He's pretty cute, right? ^_^  I'm happy with it!  What do you think?

And don't forget to check out the other adorable penguin nail designs from the talented gals of Challenge Your Nail Art below!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Gothic Gala Lacquers: Joyeux Noel Trio

So for this holiday season, I really really wanted a trio of the perfect Christmas Green, Red, and Silver, but I wanted microglitter holo bombs...and I knew just who to ask!  Samantha at Gothic Gala Lacquers was more than happy to oblige and came up with this perfect trio for me, which I have named the Joyeux Noel Trio!

The trio consists of a red holographic microglitter called Pere Noel:

A rich green holographic microglitter, Le Sapin De Noel:

And an absolutely perfect silver holographic microglitter called La Fete de Rois:

All of them are opaque in 2-3 coats and dry semi-textured, so I added a thick layer of Ain't Nobody Got Time For That by Digital Nails, which also really helped bring out the holo, too!  And I thought the trio was perfect for a candycane mani ^_^

And, you know, I made a matching dragon egg - I don't need reasons, because dragon eggs are freakin' cool, especially when using microglitter polishes.

I cannot express enough how happy I am with this trio!!  She really nailed it - all three are just perfect :D  

Now, since this is a custom trio, it is not available in her shop for purchase.  However, you *can* WIN a set of these polishes by joining the Gothic Gala Lacquers Fan Group on Facebook!  All you have to do is create a Christmas/Winter themed mani using two Gothic Gala Lacquer polishes, and you can submit up to 3 manis.  The contest is open until December 21st, so there are still 4 days left!!

You can also order a custom polish directly from the Gothic Gala Lacquers website and have her craft something AMAZING for you!!  

What do you think of this trio?  And what do you think of her spiffy new bottles??  Bigger size AND much easier to store ;)  Let me know in the comments! <3

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Nothing to disclose - polishes purchased by me.

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Winter 2015 Collection

***Press Sample***

Launching today is the Winter 2015 Collection by Octopus Party Nail Lacquer, and I've got some swatches for ya!

First up: Ilex Vinum

*Disclaimer: I realize my skin looks jaundiced or mannequin-like in the below photos - my camera just would not capture the true color of this polish, so I made the executive decision to photoshop the polish to its true color, sacrificing my skintone in the process :P

Check out that blue flash!!!  *drools*

Ilex Vinum is a gorgeous holly berry red with a holographic effect with a blue flash.  It is a stunner!  It is also *almost* a one-coater - depends on how thick you like to apply.  I am wearing two thin coats in the photos above with no topcoat.

Next up: Kin Peaks

Kin Peaks is a lovely medium light blue with a subtle holographic effect.  This one is opaque in 2-3 coats - I am wearing three thin ones in the photos above with a quick-dry topcoat.

Next: Menthol Nights

Menthol Nights is the perfect deep forest green with a very strong holographic effect.  Unfortunately, the sun had disappeared when I was swatching this one, so I was unable to get an outdoors sunshot for you :(  This could also be a one coater depending on application - I am wearing two thin coats in the photos above with no topcoat.

Last up: Crown of Queen Elizabeth

The sun decided to make an appearance for THIS beauty, so the pic to the right is a direct sun shot!

Crown of Queen Elizabeth is a gorgeous white/very light grey ultra holographic polish, opaque in 3 coats.  There's really nothing bad I can say about this absolute stunner... You absolutely need this polish - you NEED this polish.  Usually, when I get press samples in, I log them and set them aside to work on them when I'm ready to swatch them.  When I got this one, I didn't wait.  I still had the bubble wrap and package empty on my kitchen table when I immediately put this beauty on my nekked nails :D  YOU NEED THIS.

Here are the launch details:

When: 6pm EST

Where: OPNL Shop

PreOrder: Will run for 2 hours or until sold out

And here's some social links:

Facebook

Facebook Fan Group

Instagram

Other than Crown of Queen Elizabeth, will you be picking up any of these at the launch?  What do you think of this collection overall?  Let me know in the comments!

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Polish provided at a discount in exchange for swatch photos.  My review, opinions of, and experience with this polish is unique to me and remains 100% honest.

12 Days of Christmas Nail Art: Silver & Gold Glitter

I know, I KNOW!  I'm super far behind.  Like, miles behind this challenge >.<  I have good reasons though - the Whooping Cough plague has torn through my house like a sniffly, hacking tornado, and after spending three nights on a couch holding a bucket for my eldest as he puked, and helping my youngest get back to sleep after waking up a few times from coughing, it finally reared it's nasty head on me.  So, my time's been a bit occupied.

But!  I am on the up-and-up, and I plan to go back and finish out the designs I've missed thus far!  I'll start by showing you my design from December 6th's prompt:

For the base, I used the new Frosty the Snowborg by Pretty Serious Cosmetics for the base in this mani.

For the gold glitter gradient and accent nail, I used Empire from ILNP's new Holiday Collection.

For the accent nail, I also wanted to use one of my new Snowflake holiday charms from Daily Charme.  I think it added a really nice touch to the mani overall ^_^

I'm very pleased with how this mani turned out - I actually left it on for a few days (sans the charm) because it was so pretty and sparkly :D

Be sure to check out the other gorgeous silver and gold manis from this prompt!!  Let me know what you think about this one in the comments <3

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An InLinkz Link-up

Gothic Gala Lacquers: Art Deco Collection

***Press Sample***

Gothic Gala Lacquers has put together an absolutely *gorgeous* set of four cream polishes, all with 20's Slang terms for names, and all inspired from the colors in this Art Deco image:

Source

Let's jump right in with the first color: "Hotsy-Totsy"

Hotsy-Totsy is a nice blue-leaning (in some lighting) grey creme polish, opaque in 2-3 coats.

Next up: "Bubs"

Bubs is a fantastic light nude creme, opaque in 2-3 coats.  This one looked a bit streaky as I applied it, but in 3 thin coats, everything leveled out nicely, and with a super shiny topcoat, it looked just perfect!

Next: "Bearcat"

Bearcat is not only a luscious and sexy red creme, it is a 1-2 coater (depending on how thick you apply) AND it stamps, as shown on the accent fingers of Hotsy Totsy and Bubs!!  Now THAT is a killer red!!

And lastly is my personal favorite: "Dewdropper"

Dewdropper is a beautiful blue-leaning (again, depending on lighting) turquoise creme, opaque in 2-3 coats.  I stamped "Bubs" over the accent finger, hoping it would be as opaque as Bearcat.  While it is not as opaque, I still really liked the effect of it over Dewdropper - so I left it ^_^  

Overall, I just love this collection!  Cremes were never really my thing before I got into nails and nail art, but I've got to appreciate the simplicity of a good creme, and the beauty of a good creme.  They're pretty great - especially this collection!!

You can purchase these individually at the links above, or you can buy the full set here at $54.00 for the 15ml full size (in the new bottles!) or $19.00 for the 7ml mini size.  Use the code MOMMRSANDME25 for 25% off your order ;)

And here, of course, are some social links for you:

Shop

Facebook

Facebook Fan Group

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

So what do you think of this collection??  Do you think it captures the "Art Deco" of the 20's?  Let me know in the comments! <3

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Polishes were sent to me by the maker for photography purposes and a review.  My experience with the polish and any opinions are my own and remain 100% honest.